Kennedy In Dublin by Keystone, 1963

The visit of US President John F. Kennedy was seismic

It was a historic visit, not least because Kennedy, a young, dynamic Irish-American, had long made much of his Irish roots. Kennedy was mobbed by autograph hunters at a garden party held in his honour at the home of the President. His address to both houses of the Oireachtas on 28 June was a bravura performance; a sort of homecoming, as the Irish Times noted. During his speech, Kennedy described his heritage, made an attack on literary censorship and noted – to the delight of the assembled politicians – that Leinster House “does not inspire the brightest ideas.” Six months later he was killed in Dallas, Texas.